Harper confident of economic fundamentals

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's economic fundamentals and the
oversight of its financial system remain strong despite the
effects of the U.S. subprime crisis now hitting the global
economy, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday.

Harper also told a news conference that he had "a great
deal of confidence" in how Canada was doing compared with its
major trading partners, as well as the rest of the world.

The Conservative government has been saying for months that
the U.S. slowdown would hit Canada's economy.

"The fundamentals of the Canadian economy remain strong and
the fundamentals of the Canadian financial system and of
oversight of the Canadian financial system, while they could
always be improved, I think also remain strong," said Harper.

"We actually, vis-a-vis the world and our major trading
partners, have a great deal of confidence about how Canada is
positioned."